Yes, they do exist. There are hundreds of companies that hire you as an employee or a freelance contractor to work from home legitmately. If you've already got training in a special field, that's great. Use those skills and find a job that works with them. If you're not skilled in any trades offered by legitimate work from home companies, don't sweat it. You can learn anything you want to. Considering a career as a freelance writer? Great! Check out different places to see what skills you need to acquire.
Another great way to find legitimate work from home companies that will give you a chance is to charge lower rates than those with professional experience, degrees, or other achievements that you don't have. Then you can explain to the work from home companies that you don't have the experience, but you're willing to learn and to charge less because of your inexperience.
I spent two years in college getting an English degree before I was handed a book titled "Great Jobs for English Majors"- it was 279 pages long, with listings in everything from Accounting to Nursing and more. Frustrated, I left, and decided that I could find what I needed without the formal education. It took a little trying, but it worked. I found someone who was willing to work with me, and gave me a chance to learn new things and help them out. Sure, I went through my fair share of scams when I was looking for legitimate work from home companies, but I always kept three things in mind so I didn't get taken for a fool:
Number One: If it's not a business opportunity where you're purchasing a business ownership, you shouldn't pay a company to hire you. Would you go down to the grocery store and pay them to hire you as a clerk? I think not.
Number Two: If you do consider business opportunities, remember it's not a steady income. You need to be financially stable enough to afford an endeavor like this (I wasn't, so I moved on).
Number Three: If there is a 100% guarantee of satisfaction, a "proven system to make millions every week", or anything else that sounds like an infomercial, move on. You're looking for a job, and these scams and marketing schemes are a waste of time (and money!). Work wouldn't be called "work" if it required you to do nothing and make big bucks.
If you're just starting out in the work from home world, remember these tips as you begin your job hunt. Search for jobs in places like Craig's List and CareerBuilder to find real companies that need writers, programmers, customer service agents, and other people to work for them. And always remember to go with your gut. If it doesn't seem like you've found legitimate work from home companies, you probably haven't. Don't get discouraged, just keep looking and your perfect match will come along in no time.
Happy job hunting!